Obtaining a Copy of a
Veteran's Discharge
Recorded with a County Clerk, Recorder, or RegistrarExample from Cook County, Illinois

County
clerks,
recorders, or registrars at the request of a veteran, a
veteran's service officer, a person with the veteran's
permission, or
the surviving heirs of the veteran or their family make copies of
veterans' discharge
papers for safekeeping and proof of service.

The county can provide a certified copy of the discharge.
The countys' copies are considered evidence with the same effect
as the original.

My father had the Cook County, Illinois Recorder make a copy of his
discharge. I obtained a copy and found it was identical
to my father's and did not have the missing unit information.

No information on obtaining copies of a veteran's discharge is on the
Cook County Veteran's Assistance Commission web site, nor does that web
site direct you to the Cook County Recorder
who has the copies. The forms required for obtaining a copy are not on
the Cook County
Recorder's web site.

I made many inquiries by email and phone over several months before I
was able to get in touch with the right staff in the right office.

Once I found the right phone number the staff
were very helpful. They confirmed they had a copy of my
father's discharge and faxed the necessary forms. They instructed me to
include a copy of a photo identification and check for a fee when I
returned the forms.I have posted the forms in an usable format. I hope this
assists other family history researchers avoid the delays I encountered.